Who, me?

The scene at the burning bush is a call narrative. In a call narrative, the one who is called typically raises objections. As Mary said, at the Annunciation, "How can this be?"

When God called Moses, he objected: "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and I should bring children of Israel out of Egypt?"

In other words, "Who, me? ("mianoki"?)

How did God answer him? Not by saying, "You are somebody special," or even by saying, "Yes, you!"--but by saying, "I will be with you" ("echveh immach").

Moses' question I think was not so much a question as an expression of doubt. God's answer is an assurance of God's doing it.

And the sign? That the people will serve God on this very mountain. When the people stand there worshipping they themselves are the sign it was God who did it.

We people of God descend from those very ones. Our very worship confesses that God brought us here. As a Catholic folk hymn expresses:

"Yours as we stand at the table you've set
Yours at we eat the Bread our hearts can't forget
We are the sign of your life with us yet
We are yours, we are yours."


Every time we stand there, it's because we have been called to worship. Our presence is the sign that God brought us.